The party arrives in athens and Photina is holding a banquet in honor of Peter’s arrival. The whole crew is invited but a few choose to stay with the ship.

Photina announces Peter as a newly anointed cleric of Athena.

While the crowd is distracted by the announcement, the other party memebers sneak into the eretcheum and steal the Paladium.

The party sails from Athens towards a small port, and then the captain sends the party inland towards Mt. Olympus to retrieve payment for the Paladium – along with Jaculeen’s reposed body.

When they arrive, Hestia is ready to perform the ceremony, and Athena is by her side. Athena takes the Paladium and sets it on fire. She gestures to a chest of gold to pay the crew of the ship.

Hestia first regrows Jaculeen’s missing foot. While she’s doing this, Nemesis opens a stone door in the floor and a stairway leading from the underworld is revealed. She emerges flanked by two men (Hypnos and Thanatos). She then turns to Peter and congratulates him on succeeding.

A door opens and another woman (Eris) enters the room, leading woman (Persephone) and Marceline

Marceline runs to hug Peter but Persephone is led to Nemesis, where the men put her in shackles.

Nemesis then completes the ritual and raises Jaculeeen from the dead. While the ritual is in progress Hypnos and Thanatos move towards the doors.

As Jaculeen awakens, Nemesis says "Welcome back to the world of the living, sister. This is the one I mentioned, mother. Your new daughter, Jaculeen

On cue, Nyx steps out from the underworld and speaks to Jaculeen. “You have seen death, do you still fear it? Are you prepared to risk it again?”

((Jaculeen and Nyx speak for a moment)

Hestia looks as if she’s about to run for the door, but suddenly the room goes dark as night. Everybody hears sounds but when the lights come back, Hestia has been slain and Nyx is kneeling over her body.

Nyx draws her hands up from Hestias navel to her mouth, and four orbs come out of her mouth – 1 red, 1 yellow, and 2 green. Nyx inhales all four.

Nyx then turns to Athena, who without a word kneels before her. Nyx says “You do not fight?” – Athena replies “We have done poorly. We do not deserve this mantle any longer.”

Nyx is silent for a moment, then nods “You are correct. But you need not kneel girl, you were a goddess of wisdom and you exemplify it. You alone made attempts to atone for your failures. As such, you will be rewarded. I will stake your powers, but you may keep your life and continue your journey to right the wrongs of your generation.”

Nyx then runs her fingers from the navel of Athena to her mouth, and inhales her orbs – two blue and two yellow.

When she is finished, Nyx turns to the corpse of Hestia and speaks – in a loud, firm voice – one that reverberates far and wide "Aphrodite, Hera, Hermes and Poseidon. You are all that remains. Zues, Demeter, Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus, Hestia, and Dionysus are all dead. Athena and Artemis have lost their power. Night has fallen on Olympus, and soon it will fall on you.

Nyx turns to peter, “You rose from a commoner to a hero by following a wise woman. The sun has set on Olympus now . I will allow you to serve me if you choose. Will you delve into the night?”

Todd agreed to become a cleric of Nyx

The men cease to block the doors and the rest of the party leaves with their chest. Combat can be heard all around Olympus as those who were loyal followers of the old gods fight the servants of the new.

As they load the gold onto the ship and prepare to sail back to Carthage, Adofo hears a booming voice in his head.

“The time for rest has come to an end. The new beginning has come. Hear my call, blood of Poseidon. My sons and daughters, my children’s children and theirs as well. The cunt who slew my younger brother seeks to avenge my elder by suckling at her mothers teat. While they weaken each other, it is time to strengthen ourselves. We do not need the power of the bitches at Olympus. We will forge our own. Come, come to Knossus. Palamedes is expecting you. Join me, and we will shake the earth like it has never been shaken before.”

“Peter, it’s Marceline. I have left this letter in the care of a woman named Hemera. The journey I make is long and difficult. I can only imagine the route by sea is not any easier, especially with the news that the sea is on the brink of war. Peter, it is impossible for me to explain what I have learned about what is happening to Jaculeen and I. It is very important that you succeed in getting her to Mt. Olympus. Hemera has proven to be a vague, aloof, and annoying personality, but has also proven to me to be an ally. I gave her with the Dagger and the diamond we found in Notre Dame. She wishes to use it to create an artifact to protect Jaculeen, and needs your help. I know that you were hesitant before Peter, but I believe in you and I know that you can do it. I have received some help, and if all goes according to plan, I may be at Olympus before you. If I’m not, don’t wait for me – take care of Jaculeen immediately. If you have to leave afterwards, do not worry – I will find you. Good luck, brother. Also, shut up, Peter.”

she is willing to pay in grain and will sell the party a little more grain if they succeed

sirom agrees and the party sails off to meet her at delphi

they arrive and the place is infested with undead. the party makes quick work of them, as they are mostly separated, its day time and they can use the sunlight to their advantage, and there is like 30 people.

They ascend to the top of the mountain, Hemera performs a ritual using the diamond and dagger that marceline gave her and a clay plate like the one used at Demeter’s death.

the ritual is successful, and just as it completes screams come from the theater at delphi

the party rushes towards the commotion and finds a giant undead snake fighting the crew.

after a bit of a battle, the snake is defeated with only a handful of casualties, all to hemera’s men

the party then leaves, after Adofo steals some treasure and Kek Chisisi steals a book containing some of the Pythia’s prophecies

they travel to corinth. upon arrival, the corinthian slaves begin to unload the ship in preperation to cross the landbridge

a figure approaches them from the distance. it is Nemesis. she offers to speed up the process for them in exchange for a bit of her time

the party agrees, and an earth elemental comes and carries the ship for them

she takes them into a cave, where they get on charon’s ferry. she talks about her family, the brothers of sleep and death in sparta, and how they were turned to stone during the theophage

they arrive in megara, she talks about how this used to be a seat of power and that there are other oracles in the world

she found a street merchant and asked her questions about each party member

Adofo
in your mind your journey ends
but only now does your life begin
soon you will hear the call
and you must choose to rise or fall

Aswad
when one breaks free from shackles
the instinct is to run
but have you thought of where to be
when your name rings such irony?

Peter
like a sun you’ve begon to rise
following the path of the wise
but when the sun sets on the twelve
into the night, will you delve?

Kekchissi
a book of secrets under your arm
it is but a book of lies
written in the house of life
a house that keeps a secret death

after this, Nemesis returned them via charon to their ship in the Agean sea. they were able to find the remainder of the wheat they needed here and are now sailing towards athens

Athena told peter of his task – to steal the Palladium from her temple in Athens and return it to Olympus

Because there were no secrets or anything involved in the planning of this game, I decided it would be cool to show a behind the scenes of how I plan my adventures. I basically keep all of this in the GM-Only section of the adventure log. Enjoy!

Trip takes 2 rolls – captains sailing check and a random roll for weather/wind. Add them. Less than 20 night of the 5th day, greater than 20 night of the 4th day.

Day 2 – Chris dream, Poseidon’s voice: “Fooled by the apple again…”
– Kekchissi gets a message: Kekchissi. It is Azizaeshe. It is not often we have a Keeper of the Secrets in the region you are in now. At this point in your travels, you should be in the Ionian Sea, nearing Calydon. On the Gulf of Corinth is an ancient Greek site known as Delphi. There was an oracle there who would provide regular prophecies, and many of these were written down. If possible, I would like you to try and locate any that you can. They may still contain secrets about the future that have been lost. Perhaps they have been moved to the nearby cities of Calydon or Corinth. Be safe, brother, and I wish you the best of luck.

Day 3 – Adofo gets a vision: a woman’s face writhing in a pile of wolf heads and tentacles, swirling around and illuminated by fire.

They cross into the Straight of Messina at night, by way of a slight southerly wind (at their backs).

Everybody makes a spot check – if Wickes is in the crows nest he gets +5.

The check determines how far out they see the port – a natural 20 or 25+ on the check spots the ships at 3 miles.

20 – 2.5 miles
15 – 2 miles
10 – 1.5 miles
5 – 1 mile
1-4 – .5 miles

What they see at first is not unusual – there are a lot of ships at the port. Considering this is a huge merchant port, thats not unexpected. At a second look, they realize what’s unusual – there is a large number of galleys – aka triremes among them, and not many merchant ships. In fact, almost none. This is a war fleet, poised to set sail towards Messina. At that moment, Athena will speak to Peter.

“Peter, Photina, Kallisto – listen. Diokles has just informed me that General Ampelios launched an attack against the minoans at Cyprus from Tyre. Tyre. It seems the war has started, regardless of what the Ekklesia decides. Cyprus was already ready and waiting – as if they were preparing to attack themselves. Kallisto, I need you to remain at Olympus. Inform the other gods, and ask them to inform their clerics to spread the news around the nation. The quicker we can spread the word the better. Peter, continue your course, but be watchful and careful. This is very important – I need you to report to me as you approach Athens. If you stop anywhere, ensure they know that the war is on. Photina, there is no point in you staying for any further Ekklesia. Spread the word in Athens and help them prepare their fleets. Be safe, be strong.”

Just as Peter hears this, lights appear on the horizon behind them. It appears they are now caught between the fleets of Messina and Rhegium.

Have everyone make a spot check again – as long as someone gets a 10 or higher tell them. Otherwise, an NPC will relay it.

The Regium fleet has 21 Triremes and 5 Lembos, and 6 Hemiolia.

The Messinians fleet has 15 Triremes, 10 Lembos, and 8 Hemiolia. (Spot check DC 20 – there are large shadows under the sea as well).

Ensure the party knows why its important to stop here – they are to get a LOT of grain to sell throughout the rest of Greece, and they also need to resupply here as it is the last stop before they sail across the Ionian sea, where there will be no coast line to live off of.

The party will have a couple choices from here – turn around, press forward, or turn towards shore – don’t say anything though, let them figure it out.

The captain will state "Alright boys looks like we’re caught between Scylla and Charybdis here….I prefer my chances of getting through the Greeks, waiving white flags and shields above our heads…what say you?

Give everyone a knowledge: history check, to recognize Scylla and Charybdis live here…DC 20, and anybody not from Greece/Gaul is at a -5. If nobody else recognizes it, or spots the shadows, the captain will exclaim.

“By the gods! Scylla and Charybdis – this is their waters!”

If they go towards the coast, they can make it to shore with good swim checks (3 at DC 15, if they fail at 2 in a row they start to drown, and take 1 subdual damage that time and each further time they fail). At the shore the greek dudes are capturing messinian sailors who swim to shore, who will become slaves. If the party can’t figure out a way to convince them, they’ll be chained.

As the battle progresses, Scylla will recognize whats happening at the shore and engage the Greeks there. They will see her coming and try to escape by climbing the wall to their guard tower (see the picture). If they were captured, scylla will assume they were Messinian and free them, however if they’re free, they’ll either have to engage scylla or try to escape with the greeks.

No matter what, the rowed ships of the armies will catch up with them if they go towards either one. If they go to the shore, they’ll be able to anchor where they can swim to shore, though their boat doesn’t have a raft. If they decide to wait on the boat they’ll be safe. The fleets will meet as the sun rises.

As the battle ensues Scylla will start attacking the greek ships. Charybdis will zone them in towards each other, basically protecting the flanks of the Minoans. Scylla will wreak havoc on the crews, and terrify them.

With no interference, the Messinians will win the battle but not by a huge margin. A few triremes will be limping around in the sea. Scylla and the whirlpool thing will sit at the gates to ensure no boats leave/enter the harbor. Several Greek ships will escape and retreat to the harbor if they can.

If the party fights Scylla or Charybdis (how can they?) or does significant damage to the Messinians then the Greeks will win.

If they charge towards one group or the other they will be caught up with the others from behind and caught in the midst of the battle. Roll 1d6 – 1-3 greek, 4-6 minoan. If they handle one encounter well throw a second.

As soon as a whirlpool starts, the water becomes heavy waves. A DC 15 balance check is required to move more than half speed. A crit fail on this check results in falling over. No taking 10 – this means EVERYMOVEMENT requires a balance check. If water gets on deck – (a green water wave or scylla attacking) these checks increase to DC 17.

In addition, roll on this table TWICE each round.

d20

Result

1-2

Ship heels to one side. Make a DC 10 balance check (12 if wet). Anybody prone needs to make a reflex save to not fall off boat.

3-4

Scylla leaps over the ship. Make a save vs fear if you haven’t already, or be affected if you failed.

5-6

A ~1ft wave washes over the deck. DC 20 balance check. All future checks at +2

7-8

A javelin targets a random person on the boat. Roll vs their AC with attack bonus.

Regular arrow attacks a random person aboard the ship. Make an attack against them with no attack bonus. 1d6 damage.

14-15

Burning arrow attacks a random person aboard the ship. Make an attack against them with no attack bonus. 1d4 fire damage, misses may hit the ship.

16-17

Burning arrow hits the sail and it catches fire. Will spread if not put out.

18-19

Scylla attacks a random person on the ship.

20

A random Greek soldier gets flung by Scylla onto the ship.

If the party goes to shore, they’ll find Greek soldiers checking the men and killing those who are Messinian as they swim to safety.

If they go to Rhegium the gate is closed, however as the battle dwindles they will open it and allow them in if they can prove they are Carthaginian.

If they get to the city, they will not be able to buy the wheat they were promised. They can get half as much unless they can talk the dude into it. He knows Greece needs it now – but group can make the point that they are selling all of this back to other cities in Greece. A good diplo check can reveal this and or convince him.

If the party ends up trapped in the harbor, they’ll likely have to find a way to launch a counter attack or convince the Messinians to let them pass as merchants (likely by bribing them – not with coin, but with grain.)

If they do not restock here, they will be fatigued when they arrive at Calydon.

On day 2 of the trip, Adofo gets a vision: “Fooled by the apple again…” in Poseidon’s voice.

On day 2, Kekchissi gets a message: Kekchissi. It is Azizaeshe. It is not often we have a Keeper of the Secrets in the region you are in now. At this point in your travels, you should be in the Ionian Sea, nearing Calydon. On the Gulf of Corinth is an ancient Greek site known as Delphi. There was an oracle there who would provide regular prophecies, and many of these were written down. If possible, I would like you to try and locate any that you can. They may still contain secrets about the future that have been lost. Perhaps they have been moved to the nearby cities of Calydon or Corinth. Be safe, brother, and I wish you the best of luck.

On day 3, Adofo gets a vision: a woman’s face writhing in a pile of wolf heads and tentacles, swirling around and illuminated by fire.

The trip takes about 5 days, and they arrive on the 5th night. It is overcast so visibility is low.

They spot the harbor of Rhegium, but soon realize it is not full of merchant ships, but a war fleet.

at that moment, peter heard a message from Athena: Peter, Photina, Kallisto – listen. Diokles has just informed me that General Ampelios launched an attack against the minoans at Cyprus from Tyre. Tyre. It seems the war has started, regardless of what the Ekklesia decides. Cyprus was already ready and waiting – as if they were preparing to attack themselves. Kallisto, I need you to remain at Olympus. Inform the other gods, and ask them to inform their clerics to spread the news around the nation. The quicker we can spread the word the better. Peter, continue your course, but be watchful and careful. This is very important – I need you to report to me as you approach Athens. If you stop anywhere, ensure they know that the war is on. Photina, there is no point in you staying for any further Ekklesia. Spread the word in Athens and help them prepare their fleets. Be safe, be strong.

Just as Peter hears this, lights appear on the horizon behind them. It appears they are now caught between the fleets of Messina and Rhegium.

The group decides to raise white flags and continue course towards the greeks. They reach the greeks, just slightly before the faster ships of Messina do.

Aswad also spots 2 shadows beneath the surface. One goes to the flank of Rhegium and a whirlpool begins. They then realize the 2 shadows are Scylla and Charybdis.

The battle emerges around them. A wave from the suddenly rough waters crashes over the deck, knocking most of the crew down and washing Menaḣiim off the side (he got a crit fail balance check)

Kekchissi gets up and throws Menaḣiim a tied down rope, he catches it and begins to pull himself back aboard.

The boat heeled a couple of times, and Aswad fell out of the crow’s nest twice. Each time, he caught the rigging however, instead of falling to the deck. After the 2nd time, he tied himself to the mast with leather.

At some point a Greek soldier got flung onto the ship by Scylla. He broke his arm, and Kekchissi rescued him, took him below deck, and taped down his arm.

The group spotted a Minoan ship coming straight at them, intending to ram.

Aswad put an arrow in their rudder-man, and Adofo prayed to Poseidon for protection.

A stray arrow hit Capussa in the leg. Another stray arrow that was pitched hit the fore-sail and lit it on fire.

Sidden and Kemoc took down the burning sail, and Scylla showed up next to the ship, looked directly at Adofo, and stated “A sacrifice for your prayer…”

Adofo went below deck, brought the Greek guy up, and gave him to Scylla (who ate him).

Scylla left towards the ship that intended to Ram them. Over the next few turns, she killed all of the sailors on that ship, and destroyed it.

Capussa took another arrow, this time hitting his other leg.

The ship finally broke free of the engagement, on the other side of the Greeks. They sailed to the next city.

They were not able to sell any goods, and only able to purchase 600 amphoras of grain. They missed out on a contracted 2100 amphoras of grain they were supposed to purchase in Rhegium. They also purchased a new sail to replace the damaged one, and then left towards The Gulf of Corinth.

Over the course of this game, Adofo scored 2 criticals – a balance check and a perception check. He gained Agile feat and Skill Focus: Perception. Aswad also scored a critical perception check and also was given Skill Focus: Perception.

Also, Peter Gravois failed both fear checks against Scylla and spent most of the battle hiding under the stairs to the sub-deck.

Though this was a major battle, the game was almost entirely skill checks – the only person to make a single attack roll was Aswad, who shot an arrow at the Rudderman of the Messinian ship. Adofo came out of it very vindicated in his faith in Poseidon and the rest of the crew was just happy to have survived.

The party, after witnessing the events of Marseille, left towards their next stop – Rome.

On the third night at sea, there was a storm. Adofo had a vision of darkness, accompanied by the voice of Poseidon “She stirs….”

On the 6th night he had another vision. it appears like a muscular man standing over a bull, about to cut its throat with a sword. Behind the man is a woman, with hatred in her eyes, and a dagger to his back. Seen behind them all are the stars.

They go to the office/granary of Marainus, but it is trashed and he’s missing.

Adofo gets a critical success search check and finds a Journal and coins that add up to 5500 drachma.

The journal describes the Cult of Mithras, and his initiation into said cult. It also says where they worshiped.

The party follows the trail to the Mithraeum, where they find Marainus tied up and held prisoner by 3 women. One has a dagger and is about to kill him.

After some shouting, Peter tries to talk them out of killing him. They are not moved, but Adofo and Masud do not want to give up their deal, and try to sell their grain to the attackers instead. They decline, as they don’t have nearly that much money.

Adofo charges one and kills her with a shield bash. Masud kills the other two, but not before one can hit Marainus in the face with a chain, splitting his cheek open.

The party takes the bleeding man back to their ship where Kek Chisisi treats his wound. They negotiate a 10% increase to the price for the favor of saving him.

He leads them back to his granary where he finds out his money has been stolen. The party agrees to an owe of debt for 50% of what he owes, and another 5% as interest to pay the other half on their next round.

The party then manages to trade a chest full of silver for 2 chests fulls of fine glassware

Peter and Marceline left Paris the minute they set Notre Dame ablaze. They stopped at the Temple of Athena to get horses and traveled to Marseille, Gaul’s main southern port, as quickly as they could. During their travels, Peter began to notice Jaculeen’s body going through the stages of decay so he prayed to Athena for guidance. Athena suggested he ask Hera for help, so Peter prays to Hera and she agrees to help because she knows Jaculeen possesses the divine spark of Good. Hera tells Peter that she will have a cleric waiting for him in Marseille to help preserve Jaculeen’s body, sped directly from Rome.

The trip takes 20 days, and the two of them can already see that the day was not a usual one – the moon drifted ever closer to the sun. As they arrive and find the cleric, Lysistrata, who prepares and casts a ritual. Though most know nothing of the reason, worshipers watched her perform the ritual because it was probably one of the most complex and grand magical invocations to have been cast in centuries. At the pinnacle of the solar eclipse, the ghostly image of Hera herself appeared around the body of the cleric, and a glowing piece of silk slid over the body of Jaculeen. At the culmination of the ritual the silk began to unravel.

The cleric told Peter and Marceline at that time, that as the silk unravels so does the protection it provides her. She estimated it would last until the next full moon. The temple of Hera continued their aid further, providing Jaculeen with an ornate and sturdy coffin for her body to rest protected on the Journey.

Athena also spoke to Peter through his prayer and warned him of danger – which she made him swear not to reveal. She warned that the people of Greece yearned for War, and though the final decision had not yet been made, preparations were already underway as the vote was expected to favor attacking Minoa swiftly.

Peter had no choice but to continue at sea, however, due to the weight of his cargo and the sensitivity of time. Athena also told him that during this journey she may call on his assistance – the duty of any cleric to their god. Marceline, on the other hand, would not be safe crossing the water. She and Bleu departed to begin the arduous journey through the Alps, promising to meet Peter at Mount Olympus.

It was not easy, but with the help of the churches of Hera and Athena, Peter was able to secure passage for Jaculeen’s body and himself on a small merchant ship that was already bound for the Agean sea – the Maatiaton. The ship, crewed by 6 men who spoke a variety of languages, was hesitant to allow the body of a woman on board, but ultimately agreed deciding that Poseidon would not mind a dead body.

Though Peter knew of the danger, he could not say – the poor crew will not learn about the brewing war until it is too late. As the sun began to descend the Maatiaton raised sail and set off towards the east – and thus the Great Journy began.

This interlude was made to facilitate the transition between GMs from Chris to Josh, where Josh began his campaign with the Carthaginian characters. The unexpected death of Jaculeen gave an excellent plot device, so we allowed Todd to continue playing Peter, while Mike (Jaculeen’s player), Chris (the first DM), and Nate (Chris’s roomate who decided to join the game) made new level 1 characters from Carthage.

Marceline’s Journal

Bullet Points

the night before, peter overcomes his fear of nemesis and asks her for help the next day. she declines as he has nothing to offer her, and he offends her by being presumptuous.

We gathered supplies and were paraded to the notre dame grounds. no one followed us to the door

jaculeen prayed to hermes to gain information about where to find the books and tools we’ll need to make the artifact

we opened the door, and an undead soldier greeted us, stating “my liege, we have him trapped upstairs”

we quickly deduced that they were stuck on the day of the attack and thought hermes was trapped upstairs

they however quickly sensed that jaculeen was a follower of Hermes. the soldier ordered her attacked…an archer fired first and critical hit, head shot, instant killed her.

marceline and peter both made critical successes on will saves to resist the urge to freak out

we went inside and asked the guard to help us “prepare to fight him” by gathering the supplies we needed to do the ritual. we failed a fear save for the undead with scythes and ran outside.

when we composed ourselves and re-opened the door, the soldier greeted us exactly the same. we continued with the same charade.

after gathering the required supplies, we decided without jaculeen we were not competent enough to perform the ritual

we went back outside, and peter prayed to nemesis again – this time she agreed to return jaculeens soul if we found someone to restore her body AND destroyed notre dame. we agreed.

we went back in and told the undead we had to burn the place, they helped us spread the oil and pitch we had brought around, we set it on fire, and they all ran out of the burning building into the sun, which destroyed them.

we wrapped jaculeen in a rug from the building and escaped the city.

This was the last game of the Gualish party for the time being. We did not plan on Jaculeen dying – that was totally up to the rolls. We actually won initiative in that fight, but due to the fact that we just stood there in awe when they began to be suspicious the DM ruled that we wasted our turns. In fact, we didn’t really do much planning at all. Marceline was impatient and didn’t want to spend forever on what she felt was pointless – she didn’t feel they’d be able to learn much of anything without just going in, and she knew once they were in they couldn’t turn back – the Queen and all of Gaul would be waiting for them. This really upset Jaculeen and Peter, but when the Queen showed up and told them it was time to go, the argument became moot.

Marceline’s Journal

We know the Queen still has something up her sleeve. She is so cunning it makes my brain hurt trying to figure out her plan. All we can do is claim as much victory for ourselves as we can, and not let ourselves be intimidated when we see what she gains as well. In the end, aren’t we serving our country anyway? I am not upset if she gets things that she wants as well.

we learn that the queen wants to make marceline’s marriage sooner and for her to take the blois name

we decide to go into notre dame to prove the worth of our name

she learns of our plan and comes to us, though we ‘convince’ her to allow us